Where each one leads
Audi TT
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Mercedes-Benz SLK
- Fewer Mercedes-Benz SLK cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (9.5% against 10.0%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2016 Mercedes-Benz SLK uses 8.5 l/100 km, the 2023 Audi TT 9.4.
- New Mercedes-Benz SLK cars registered in Europe in 2020 average 153 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 161 for the Audi TT in 2022.
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Audi TT | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1999–2024 | 1998–2012 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 78,602 (2010–2022) | 75,551 (2010–2020) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 60,772 | 47,128 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 8,176 | 9,739 |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,718 | 2,181 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Audi TT | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 76% | 73% |
| … against cars of the same age | +13% | +16% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.6% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −24% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 10.0% | 9.5% |
| US owner complaints | 319 | 74 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Visibility |
| Model year with most complaints | 2001 (120) | 2002 (25) |
| US recall campaigns | 12 | 3 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 7,556 | 79 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 2 | 9 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi TT | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.4 l/100 km (2023) | 8.5 l/100 km (2016) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 8.4 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 161 g/km | 153 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 159 kW (213 hp) | 120 kW (161 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,385 kg | 1,578 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €52,209 | €61,479 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 219,000 km | 175,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).